April 16, 2015

Twenty-five years after the FCC amended its definition of the demarcation point, extending the demarc can still give some private-network owners fits.

By Patrick McLaughlin

It has been 16 months since this publication covered the idea of customer-premises demarcation in detail (“Demarc extension is mostly uncharted territory,” December 2013). In those 16 month, by nearly any measure, little has changed related to the tasks and challenges associated with the stretch of cabling commonly called the demarc extension. Demarc Extension Nationwide (www.demarcextension.com) defines that stretch of cabling as follows: “The transmission path originating from the interface of the access provider’s side of a telecommunications circuit demarcation point within a premises and ending at the termination point prior to the interface of the edge customer premises equipment [CPE]. This may include in-segment equipment, media converters and patch cords as required to complete the circuit’s transmission path to the edge CPE.”

Veterans of in-building wiring systems likely are unsurprised that nothing has changed over the past 16 months; many would argue that nothing has changed in the nearly 25 years (August 1990) since the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) amended its definition of the term “demarcation point” to help clarify confusion that existed over the location(s) of demarcation points in multi-unit buildings. That 1990 amendment sought to ensure the demarc would be near the minimum point of entry (MPOE), which is the point at which the service provider’s cabling enters the premises.

February 5, 2014

In a recent article from Cabling Installation and Maintenance Magazine titled “Demarc Extension is Mostly Uncharted Territory” it discusses extending the handoff point between public and private networks and why it remains an area largely unstandardized despite it being crucially important to the telecommunications industry.

The article also covers:

The role of key players in the telecommunications industry, such as Concert Technologies

The FCC and a brief history of deregulation of the phone industry and demarc extension regulations

Products and technologies that facilitate a demarc extension

Click here to read the full article from Cabling Installation and Maintenance Magazine

January 9, 2014

Extending the handoff point between public and private networks remains an area largely unstandardized yet of critical importance to user organizations.

by Patrick McLaughlin

The demarcation point is a nearly universally recognized portion of corporate networks and today, even personal residential networks. The “demarc,” as it is commonly called, is most visible in residential networks in the form of the network interface device (NID), which typically is mounted onto a home and is the handoff point between the carrier/service provider’s network and the customer-owned network of the homeowner. In these networks, the NID is the very point at which the service provider’s network ends and the customer’s network begins.

In corporate networks, the situation can be significantly murkier. The confusion is not so much a matter of the point at which the service provider’s network ends; a NID does the job there as well. But from a technical standpoint, the matter can be confusing when the service provider network ends in a space physically distant from where the customer-owned network resides. Take, as a typical example, a demarc inside the basement of a multi-story building. A tenant on the fifth or sixth floor of that building must somehow connect its network–contained within a single floor–to the demarc in the basement.

In most cases, a network and associated cabling project begins with the consideration and consultation of standards related to the system or technology being deployed. In the case of extending a demarcation point into a building so it physically meets a customer-owned network, standards are scant. System specifiers, designers, installers and owners are challenged to plan and carry out such a project.

Stake in the ground

For several years Concert Technologies (www.concerttech.com) has made efforts to shed light on the challenges associated with demarc extension. Concert provides what it describes as technology rollouts nationwide. On its website, the company explains, “We provide, manage and support a worldwide field force of local onsite technicians to deploy technology infrastructure on a nationwide and global scale. This includes the dissemination and relay of technical knowledge quickly and accurately to our onsite Concert techs for the installation and service of each location.”

In 2010 Concert launched a separate brand and service called Demarc Extension Nationwide (www.demarcextension.com), aimed specifically at serving the needs of network owners facing the mostly uncharted waters of extending the demarcation point. When announcing the brand’s establishment, Concert stated, “There are thousands of circuits delivered weekly to organizations across the country, with each circuit requiring a demarc extension. Without the standardization of terms and installation practices, there is a high risk of negative impact to the delivery, performance and maintenance of critical telecommunications circuits and their access to the Internet and other network connections outside of a facility.”

Also at that time, Concert’s and Demarc Extension Nationwide’s founder Dennis Mazaris said, “This has been a problem in the industry for over three decades. With a decade and a half of experience deploying technology nationwide and globally, we have taken the initiative in defining and standardizing a demarc extension–the single most critical cabling component within a facility.”

On its website, Demarc Extension Nationwide provides a significant amount of information that is basic yet difficult to find in standards or other technical documents within the industry. Included among the information is a definition of the term demarc extension, as follows: “The transmission path originating from the interface of the access provider’s side of a telecommunications circuit demarcation point within a premises and ending at the termination point prior to the interface of the edge customer premises equipment [CPE]. This may include in-segment equipment, media converters and patch cords as required to complete the circuit’s transmission path to the edge CPE.”

April 10, 2013

Demarc is short for Demarcation Point, or the spot in a building where telecom companies must leave their services. As mandated by federal law, all telecommunications carriers must hand off their telecom circuits to each subscriber, leaving their service at the building’s demarcation point, which is usually a ground floor telecom room. From this point, the demarc extension is the subscriber’s responsibility, extending their telecommunications circuit to their suite or network room, and begin using the telecom circuit.

March 27, 2012

DULLES, VA, March 26, 2012 – Concert Technologies, the national technology rollout and global deployment leader, has been selected to present at the 2012 Spring Channel Partners Conference & Expo in Las Vegas. The session titled “Using the Force! Increasing Your Value With Field Services” will feature Dennis Mazaris, President and CEO of Concert Technologies, as a panelist. The presentation will be held Wednesday, March 28 from 10:15-11:15 am with no advance registration required for those attending the 2012 Spring Channel Partners Conference.

“Using the Force! Increasing Your Value With Field Services” is part of the Track Three: New Opportunities series to help companies boost and diversify their revenue stream by adding professional and managed services. Mazaris will join other industry experts to expose the added value of utilizing a field service organization for nationwide technology rollouts and global deployments. With VoIP and other IP technologies as the focus of service deployment at customer sites, the value added by field services to the telecom agent or VAR’s business can make or break the opportunity to win the business of the customer. Subjects covered will include:

August 5, 2011

The technology industry is changing every day with developments in new technologies and the continuing growth of the telecommunications field. It has become increasingly important for business practices to reflect the growth in the industry with scalable models. When evaluating a Technology Rollout Company, it is best to not only determine how well they will manage and complete your current technology deployment project, but consider how their system of methodologies for deploying technology will be scaled to work efficiently no matter the technology, number of sites or services required.

Commodity Service ViewpointTechnology rollout services are sometimes incorrectly viewed as a commodity service. Some assume that most anyone who has any kind of deployment business model has the ability to manage and deploy a rollout on a nationwide scale to the quality and efficiency you desire. This rationale can be equated to that of the fast food industry in which you have a drive-thru providing the same level of service on every corner. However, the difference is that when you drive off after receiving your order, you find out that you didn’t get what you paid for. Now, compare this to a restaurant that specializes in not just food, but also the process of preparation and service experience. Not only are they able to provide rapid service, but it is accompanied with the highest quality of standards from the time you enter the establishment to the time you exit and if your order is not to your likings they are there to correct it immediately. The commodity service viewpoint is a huge risk in the industry because it assumes that technology rollouts do not require in-depth expertise, long-term established partnerships and a Technology Rollout System to ensure management of all aspects of the Rollout Life Cycle.

Applying the Technology Rollout System to a Multi-Site, Multi-Service ProjectNo two technology rollout projects are the same. As part of a Technology Rollout Company’s system of methodologies, a Rollout Services Model consisting of integrated components that are flexible and scalable to any project size and scope allows the Tehnology Rollout Company to provide multi-site, multi-service, multi-technology rollouts efficiently.

Multiple Sites:The ideal system would work as effectively for a project consisting of thousands of sites as it would for one site. The Rollout Delivery Team varies from company to company, but always should define the essential roles relating to the execution of the project. With a defined management processes and an efficient communication channel, a Technology Rollout Company can take on a project of any size with the same quality of service- from one site to tens of thousands of sites.

Multiple Services:The deployment method utilized will have an effect on the ability to meet site-specific requirements such as services, deployment technologies, technical support and communication specifications. Using local resources allows the Technology Rollout Company to get the job done no matter the technology or equipment required.

How is this Flexibility Possible?The integrated components under the Rollout Services Model with Project Management as its cornerstone component, allows the Technology Rollout Company to apply their system of methodologies to any project size and scope. The Rollout Services Model is universal and technology independent allowing it to be applied to all types of projects no matter the technology, equipment or services required. Finally, the Project Manager, as part of the Rollout Delivery Team, manages the rollout process and serves as the customer’s single point of contact ensuring all project activities are completed to the customer’s specifications.

This program will provide select partners the opportunity to accelerate the growth of their business with an alternative revenue stream while providing value added solutions for customers both nationwide and internationally. Through Demarc Extension Nationwide’s Partner Program, agents will be able to expand their services to see the project through the installation phase, increasing customer satisfaction and taking the burden off the agent.

Through the program, agents can expand their services portfolio to include:

“The Channel Partners Conference and Expo is a natural venue for Demarc Extension Nationwide to collaborate with agents,” commented Vice President of Sales, Joshua Shaw. “Helping agents grow their revenue stream while offering a value added solution to their customer through our Partner Program is an important step in expanding our support for the telecom agent and channel partner community.”

Additional information on the value of the demarc extension to telecom agents may be found in an article titled “Understanding the Role of Demarc Extension” published in the December 2010 issue of Channel Partners Magazine (formerly Phone+).

Demarc Extension Nationwide is a brand of Concert Technologies and was developed as the telecommunications industry leader for nationwide installation services and education of demarc extensions. In addition to providing these nationwide installation and maintenance services, the brand sets the standards and supplies the necessary information to facilitate the understanding of specifications and installation practices for demarc extensions. Demarc Extension Nationwide supports the telecom agent, carrier and channel partners in ensuring complete operability of the circuit or technology at the customer’s site. Visit Demarc Extension Nationwide online at www.demarcextension.com

December 9, 2010

DULLES, VA, December 9, 2010 – Demarc Extension Nationwide today has announced the publication of its article titled, “Understanding the Role of Demarc Extension” in the December 2010 issue of Phone+ Magazine, which will soon change its name to Channel Partners Magazine. Demarc Extension Nationwide has partnered with Phone+ Magazine to create this article as a resource for Telecom Agents and Channel Partners to use this value-added service to increase their capabilities, customer satisfaction and referrals.

Strategies to add value for Telecom Agents and Channel Partners to expand business opportunities

Service options for handling the demarc extension and tips to avoid any hassle for the Agent and their Customers

Demarc Extension versus Inside Wiring – there is a big difference

“The demarc extension is something that all Telecom Agents and Channel Partners will encounter during the delivery of a circuit. Phone+ Magazine realizes the impact of this critical aspect of service delivery to the Telecom Agent’s and Channel Partner’s business as well as the impression it has on the customer and their perception of the Agent’s or Channel Partner’s capabilities. The customer does not care who has the responsibility for the demarc extension, they just want their circuit up and running without the finger pointing of who’s at fault. Cleaner and faster circuit deliveries mean better reputation for the Agent and Channel partner which, in return, means more business from referrals and staisfied customers,” commented founder of Demarc Extension Nationwide and President of Concert Technologies, Dennis Mazaris.

About Phone+ MagazineFor more than two decades, Phone+ has been the leader in providing news and analysis to indirect sales channels serving the communications industry. It is the unrivaled resource for resellers, aggregators, agents, brokers, VARs, systems integrators, interconnects and dealers that provide network-based communications and computing services, associated CPE and applications as well as managed and professional services. Phone+ is the official media of the Channel Partners Conference & Expo. Effective January 1, 2011 Phone+ will be renamed to Channel Partners to create one brand for the resources that it provides to the communications technology indirect sales channel.

About Demarc Extension Nationwide
Demarc Extension Nationwide is a brand of Concert Technologies and was developed as the telecommunications industry leader for nationwide installation services and education of demarc extensions. In addition to providing these nationwide installation and maintenance services, the brand sets the standards and supplies the necessary information to facilitate the understanding of specifications and installation practices for demarc extensions. Demarc Extension Nationwide supports the telecom agent and carrier in ensuring complete operability of the circuit at the customer’s site. Visit Demarc Extension Nationwide online at www.demarcextension.com

October 25, 2010

Demarc Extension Nationwide had an overwhelmingly positive response by Channel Partners Fall 2010 Expo attendees. Hundreds of leather-bound padfolios containing a pen were given out at the Demarc Extension Nationwide booth. The refillable padfolios were so popular, Channel Partners exhibitors and attendees voted Demarc Extension Nationwide runner-up as Best Trade Show Giveaway.

In addition to offering nationwide and international demarc extension services, the company also is committed to the education of the demarc extension. Free resources offered by Demarc Extension Nationwide include a white paper, video series, diagrams and terminology.

“I was quite impressed by the website’s diagrams and terminology used to clearly explain this critical aspect of a circuit, the demarc extension. It was instrumental in developing a Premise Distribution System policy for use in our new Terminal, and distinguishing Tenant vs Airline support responsibilities.” commented James Caldwell, San Antonio Aviation Dept.

FCC part 68 regulation and federal law mandates every telecommunications circuit to have a demarc extension. This is the critical cabling and equipment that extends a circuit in the building from the local access provider’s demarcation point to the edge customer’s premises equipment.

“Offering demarc extension services is supplemental to the services the telecom agents provide for their customer. This value-added service provided on a nationwide scale supports the efforts of the agent in circuit delivery and the rapid resolution of an issue, ultimately resulting in a positive experience for the Agent’s customer,” commented founder of Demarc Extension Nationwide and President of Concert Technologies, Dennis Mazaris.

About Demarc Extension Nationwide
Demarc Extension Nationwide is a brand of Concert Technologies and was developed as the telecommunications industry leader for nationwide installation services and education of demarc extensions. In addition to providing these nationwide installation and maintenance services, the brand sets the standards and supplies the necessary information to facilitate the understanding of specifications and installation practices for demarc extensions. Demarc Extension Nationwide supports the telecom agent and carrier in ensuring complete operability of the circuit at the customer’s site. Visit Demarc Extension Nationwide online at www.demarcextension.com